Alliance  Employment  Btjeeatt 


107  East  17th  Street 
New  York  City 


916 


AFFILIATED  WITH  SETTLEMENTS  AND 
OTHER  ORGANIZATIONS 

Inquiries  into  Trades  for 
Factory  Workers 


Sample  Mounting  and 
Sample  Case  Making 
Perfumery  Trade 
Paper  Box  Making 
Candy  Trade 
Case  Making  for 

Jewelry  and  Silverware 


These  Inquiries  were  made  for  the  purpose  of  learning 
if  it  was  desirable  for  the  Alliance  Employment  Bureau 
to  place  girls  and  women  in  these  five  branches  of  factory 
work.  They  are  in  no  sense  scientific  investigations. 


1913 


SAMPLE  MOUNTING  AND  SAMPLE  CASE 

MAKING. 


Visits  to  forty-five  workrooms ; interviews  with  Sources  of 
a number  of  girls.  Information 

Sample  Mounting  is  the  placing  on  cards  or  in  Definition 
books  samples  of  dry  goods,  trimmings,  ribbons,  etc. 

These  cards  or  books  are  sent  by  the  wholesalers  to 
thousands  of  retailers  throughout  the  country. 

Sample  Casemaking  is  the  covering  of  cardboard 
with  paper,  usually  black;  this  paper  often  has  a 
surface  which  is  an  imitation  of  leather.  It  is  put 
on  with  glue.  The  cases  are  made  by  both  men  and 
women.  The  gilt  lettering  on  the  covering  is  done 
by  a stamping  machine.  The  girls  usually  lay  on 
the  gold  leaf  and  boys  and  men  run  the  stamping 
machine.  Salesmen  carry  these  cases  on  their  trips. 

I.  Cutting.  This  is  always  done  by  men,  who  use  Processes 
a heavy  long  machine  knife  to  cut  the  goods  into 

long  strips  and  then  into  pieces  of  the  desired  size. 

II.  Trimming.  This  is  cutting  off  the  loose 
threads  on  the  edges  of  the  samples. 

III.  Mounting.  The  glue  is  spread  out  very  thin 
on  a table  or  a marble  slab  and  the  samples  are  laid 
on  and  taken  off  with  great  care.  The  thumb  and 
the  first  finger  are  used  in  this  process. 

IV.  Labeling.  Sometimes  the  samples  them- 
selves are  labeled  with  a number  or  with  the  name  of 
a color.  Often  the  samples  are  placed  on  a specially 
prepared  card  which  has  already  been  labeled  to 
correspond  with  the  different  colors  to  be  placed  on 
it.  The  samples  are  usually  given  to  the  girl  in  the 
required  order  and  the  labels  also  so  that  no  special 
intelligence  is  required  in  either  mounting  or  label- 
ing. In  some  houses  the  number  is  printed  directly 

3 


Work- 

rooms 


on  the  sample,  however.  Then  if  a sample  is  wrong- 
ly mounted,  no  harm  is  done,  as  goods  are  ordered 
by  numbers. 

V.  Eyeletting.  This  is  done  by  an  eyeletting 
machine,  sometimes  run  by  girls  and  sometimes  by 
men.  It  is  not  heavy  work  nor  is  the  machine 
dangerous.  Each  sample  card  has  two  eyelets  and 
a number  of  these  cards  are  laced  together  to  form 
a book. 

VI.  Clamping.  Sometimes  a very  simple  device, 
called  a clamper,  is  used  for  holding  a number  of 
cards  together,  and  this  is  forced  through  the  cards 
by  a small  machine. 

In  all  these  branches  the  workers  are  girls  except 
in  the  casemaking,  cutting  and  eyeletting  as  stated 
above. 

The  business  of  sample  mounting  is  carried  on  in 
two  kinds  of  workrooms. 

I.  Large  wholesale  houses  dealing  in  only  a few 
lines  of  goods  usually  have  their  own  workrooms 
where  sample  mounting  is  done.  The  majority  of 
the  woolen  goods  houses,  for  example,  do  their  own 
mounting,  as  do  also  the  dealers  in  velvets,  silks, 
laces,  etc. 

These  firms  seldom  make  their  own  cases,  but  im- 
port them  or  have  them  made  by  the  sample  mount- 
ing houses.  This  is  because  casemaking  requires 
skilled  workers  and  this  kind  of  sample  mounting 
does  not. 

The  workrooms  in  these  houses  are,  as  a rule,  far 
superior  to  those  in  the  regular  sample  mounting 
houses.  They  are  usually  large,  light  and  very  well 
ventilated.  The  space  for  the  workers  is  adequate 
and  the  rooms  are  kept  clean. 

II.  Regular  sample  mounting  houses.  These 
houses  make  cases  and  cut  trimmings  and  mount 
samples  for  wholesale  houses. 

Below  Canal  Street,  in  the  wholesale  dry  goods 
district,  most  of  the*  workrooms  are  in  old  buildings 
where  there  are  no  elevators  and  where  often  there  w 
seems  to  be  no  adequate  provision  for  escape  in  case 

4 


of  fire.  The  girls  are  usually  near  the  windows  at 
the  front  and  rear,  but  the  streets  are  narrow  and 
there  is  often  very  little  space  between  the  build- 
ings at  the  rear;  so  that  the  light  in  the  various 
workrooms  ranges  from  fair  to  poor.  The  ventila- 
tion is  accordingly  not  very  good  and  there  are  few 
attempts  at  artificial  ventilation.  These  workrooms 
of  the  old  type  are  large  and  space  is  not  so  valuable 
as  in  the  workrooms  further  uptown  so  that  the 
workers  are  not  crowded.  To  the  casual  ob- 
server many  of  the  workrooms  seem  dirty,  but  one 
realizes  that  the  litter  is  caused  by  trimming  the 
samples,  and  it  is  “clean  dirt”.  Many  workrooms 
are  swept  every  night  and  there  is  seldom  any  dust. 

The  workrooms  above  Canal  Street,  are  usually 
in  new  or  remodeled  buildings  and  are  better  as  to 
ventilation,  lighting,  etc. 

In  the  busy  seasons  young  girls  are  taken  on  at 
from  $3  to  $4.50  a week  and  put  at  the  simplest  kind 
of  mounting.  They  may  have  an  opportunity  to 
become  mounters  or  labelers.  In  fact  many  girls  do 
both  and  the  girl  who  develops  into  an  “all  round 
worker”  reaches  the  maximum  wage  soon  and  is 
expected  to  fit  in  anywhere. 

In  the  wholesale  houses  wages  range  from  $5  to 
$8  per  week,  the  average  being  $7. 

In  the  better  grade  of  sample  mounting  houses 
the  wages  are  the  same  as  in  the  wholesale  houses 
although  a few  firms  pay  a maximum  of  $10  to 
$10.50. 

At  casemaking  the  wages  range  from  $6  to  $8  a 
week  on  week  work,  and  from  $12  to  $14  a week 
when  paid  by  the  piece.  Only  very  expert  and  care- 
ful girls  can  be  placed  upon  piece  work  and  the 
wages  are  consequently  higher. 

The  hours  in  the  wholesale  houses  are  short, 
ranging  from  47  to  54  hours  a week,  and  when  there 
is  overtime  it  seldom  exceeds  the  60  hour  limit. 
The  girls  usually  have  the  benefit  of  the  half  holiday 
in  summer,  although  one  of  the  best  houses 
keeps  its  girls  until  5 :30  the  year  round.  Many 


Appren- 

ticeship 


Wages 


Hours  and 
Overtime 


Seasons 


Homework 


Require- 

ments 


Summary 


wholesale  houses  give  one  or  two  weeks’  vacation 
with  pay  and  make  no  deduction  for  absence  caused 
by  illness.  Consequently  these  firms  often  secure  a 
better  grade  girl  than  is  found  in  the  sample  mount- 
ing houses. 

In  the  sample  mounting  houses  the  hours  are 
much  longer  than  in  the  wholesale  houses  and  their 
is  a great  deal  of  night  work,  often  enough  to  make 
a total  of  65  hours  a week  in  the  busy  season. 

Many  wholesale  houses  keep  their  employees 
throughout  the  year.  Dealers  in  woolen  goods, 
however,  seem  to  have  two  pretty  well  defined  sea- 
sons, which  are  at  their  height  in  October  and 
March.  At  these  times  they  greatly  increase  their 
force  of  workers.  With  most  regular  sample  mount- 
ing houses  the  dull  season  is  from  May  to  August, 
varying  in  different  houses.  The  force  of  workers 
is  considerably  reduced  then,  for  instance  from  23 
to  10;  from  18  to  10. 

In  a few  sample  mounting  houses  girls  are  per- 
mitted to  take  home  some  of  the  simplest  work  and 
can  make  60  cents  to  75  cents  an  evening.  It  is 
probable  that  the  family  help  in  this  work. 

The  chief  requirement  seems  to  be  the  ability  to 
use  glue  in  such  a way  as  not  to  ruin  the  samples 
and  cases.  To  do  this  a girl  must  have  a steady 
hand  and  keep  her  mind  on  her  work. 

While  the  conditions  are  somewhat  better  in  the 
workrooms  in  wholesale  houses,  there  is  more 
variety  and  interest  in  the  work  done  by  sample 
mounting  houses.  Girls  go  from  cotton  goods  to 
trimmings,  from  velvets  to  silks;  they  also  learn 
different  ways  of  mounting  samples  and  get 
some  ideas  as  to  colors  and  shades,  forms,  etc.  Girls 
can  learn  in  the  lower  grade  sample  mounting 
houses  the  handling  of  materials  and  can  acquire 
speed ; they  can  then  go  from  these  houses  to  those 
of  higher  grade.  (This  is  good  in  theory  but  we 
have  not  so  far  found  that  girls  do  it.)  The  work  in 
the  lower  grade  houses  is  so  irregular  that  between 


seasons  the  girls  go  to  other  kinds  of  unskilled  work 
(for  this  grade  of  work  can  hardly  be  called  skilled) 
and  often  do  not  return  to  sample  mounting.  The 
work  does  not  require  a very  high  degree  of  intelli- 
gence and  there  seems  to  be  nothing  unhealthy 
about  it.  Some  firms  use  a kind  of  glue  which  has 
an  unpleasant  odor,  but  we  have  not  learned  that  the 
health  is  affected  by  this  odor.  The  girls  usually 
sit  on  chairs  or  high  stools. 

The  trade  is  recommended  for  girls  of  average  Recom- 
intelligence  or  even  for  those  below  the  average,  niendation 


THE  PERFUMERY  TRADE. 


Sources  of 
Information 


Kinds  of 
Work 


Processes 


Visits  to  sixty-one  firms  listed  under  manufac- 
turers of  perfumery  and  toilet  preparations.  It 
proved  necessary  to  eliminate  a number  of  these 
firms  before  we  began  our  inquiry.  Some  repre- 
sented importers;  some  had  only  offices  and  sales- 
rooms of  out  of  town  factories;  some  had  gone  out 
of  business;  one  firm  dealt  in  essential  oils  from 
which  perfumes  are  made;  one  made  extracts  and 
flavoring;  some  made  proprietary  lotions,  tonics, 
powders  etc.,  and  imported  their  perfumes  and  two 
made  toilet  powders  only. 

There  remained  twenty-eight  firms  upon  which  to 
base  our  inquiry.  Of  these  only  eighteen  allowed  us 
to  enter  their  workrooms. 

For  women  the  work  consists  in  labeling,  capping, 
ribboning,  wrapping  and  packing.  It  is  very 
simple  work,  demanding  only  neatness,  deftness  of 
fingers  and  speed.  Women  also  do  demonstrating 
which  is,  however,  not  a part  of  the  trade.  For 
boys  the  work  is  filling  tins  with  powder  and  cover- 
ing the  same.  Boys  also  work  in  the  shipping 
room. 

I.  Labeling.  This  is  pasting  the  printed  marker 
on  the  bottle  to  show  the  maker  and  the  kind  of 
perfume.  Workers  begin  on  tiny  bottles  distributed 
as  advertising  samples  or  larger  bottles  called 
“dummies”  and  used  in  displays.  They  are  ad- 
vanced to  the  better  grades  of  goods  as  they  develop 
speed.  Importers  employ  labelers  to  repair  dam- 
ages to  original  packages  and  to  re-label  display 
stock. 

II.  Capping.  This  is  covering  the  bottle 
stopper  with  tissue  or  kid.  The  covering  is 
dampened,  drawn  firmly  and  smoothly  over  the  top 
and  tied  neatly  with  cord  or  ribbon.  All  edges  are 


clipped  evenly  with  sharp  scissors  so  that  each 
knot  and  bow  looks  just  like  the  model.  Only  deft 
fingers  can  do  this  quickly  and  well. 

Small  bottles  are  fitted  into  wooden  blocks  which 
hold  them  in  position,  leaving  both  hands  free  for 
work.  Larger  bottles  are  held  in  racks  or  trays. 

III.  Ribboning  and  Wrapping.  Ribboning  is 
ornamenting  the  bottles  with  fancy  bows.  The 
ribboner  may  also  do  fancy  wrapping  and  sealing, 
with  individual  wrapper  and  seals,  and  decorating 
boxes  and  other  holders  with  bands  and  bows  for 
displays.  The  expert  ribboner  is  the  best  paid 
worker  among  the  girls. 

IV.  Packing.  Girls  pack  the  bottles  in  cartons, 
containing  3,  6 or  12  bottles.  These  cartons  are 
stored  in  the  shipping  room,  where  the  heavier 
packing  is  done  by  men. 

V.  Demonstrating.  Aside  from  the  above  work 
for  girls  this  trade  offers  work  in  demonstrating 
which  is  usually  well  paid.  Demonstrators  usually 
work  in  department  stores  and  may  be  employed  all 
or  part  of  the  year,  according  to  their  ability  and  to 
trade  conditions.  The  displays  are  usually  ar- 
ranged by  men  though  it  seems  as  if  a girl’s  taste 
might  fit  her  to  do  this  work  well  also. 

Firms  in  this  trade  are  not  confined  to  any  one  Work- 
section  of  the  city.  A few  were  in  dingy  old  buildings,  rooms 
one  on  the  lower  West  Side  being  on  the  upper  floor 
of  a rear  house,  once  a tenement,  and  another,  on  the 
East  Side  over  an  Italian  restaurant.  Several  of  the 
best  places  occupy  three  or  more  lofts  or  an  entire 
building.  The  showrooms  and  offices  were  uni- 
formly good,  some  exceedingly  attractive.  Most  of 
the  workrooms  were  clean,  light  and  well  ventilated, 
but  a few  were  lighted  by  gas  at  all  hours. 

The  men  and  boys  work  in  a different  loft  (or  in 
another  part  of  the  same  loft)  from  the  girls. 

There  is  no  dangerous  machinery,  dust,  nor 
poisonous  substance  to  be  handled  in  the  perfumery 
* department,  but  in  the  powder  rooms  there  is  more 
or  less  dust.  In  the  best  places  covered  chutes  and 

9 


Appren- 

ticeship 


Wages 


automatic  fillers  are  used  to  minimize  this.  Girls 
who  “clean  off”  and  “top”  boxes  usually  wear  caps 
and  aprons  which  may  or  may  not  be  furnished  by 
the  company. 

Sometimes  a worker  is  nauseated  by  the  odor  of 
perfumes  but  very  few  are  so  affected  as  to  need 
to  give  up  the  work  and  in  a few  days  most  workers 
are  quite  accustomed  to  it. 

Boys.  A boy  who  wishes  to  enter  the  trade  and 
work  up  must  do  so  by  way  of  the  office  or  shipping 
room.  He  may  go  in  as  errand  boy  and,  if  he  then 
gets  into  the  shipping  room,  it  is  possible  for  him 
by  studying  chemistry  in  the  evening  to  get  event- 
ually into  the  laboratory.  He  may  also  become 
Assistant  Superintendent  and  finally  Superintend- 
ent. If  he  enters  the  powder  room  he  wastes  his 
time,  for  the  work  is  unskilled  and  leads  nowhere. 

Girls.  A girl  begins  by  labelling  the  cheapest 
goods,  then  the  better  grades,  learning  to  cap  and 
ribbon,  if  neat  and  quick  enough.  All  firms  take 
learners.  They  are  usually  taken  on  during  the 
dull  season  when  they  are  shown  how  and  gradu- 
ally speeded  up  to  the  requirements  of  the  busy 
season. 

Not  many  boys  enter  the  trade  to  stay  except  in 
the  office  or  in  the  shipping  room.  In  the  powder 
room  they  earn  from  $5  to  $6  a week;  as  errand 
boys  or  office  boys  they  start  at  $4  or  $5;  in  the 
shipping  room,  at  $6. 

Female  apprentices  start  at  $3.50  or  $4.50  usually 
$4.  To  reach  the  average  wage  of  $6  or  $7  requires 
at  least  two  seasons;  to  reach  the  maximum  as 
given  below  depends  upon  the  worker. 

Labellers  and  cappers  receive  $5  to  $9  a week; 
ribboners,  $8  to  $14;  demonstrators,  $10  to  $18. 
These  last  receive  salary  and  commission. 

Workers  are  paid  double  rates  usually  for  over- 
time. Some  places  pay  fifty  cents  an  evening,  others, 
twenty-five  cents  for  supper  and  only  regular  rates 
per  hour.  Workers  are  raised  fifty  cents  a week 

10 


once  or  twice  a year;  a few  firms  advance  more 
rapidly  according  to  individual  work. 

The  day  is  usually  9l/2  hours  long.  Total  num- 
ber of  hours  for  the  week  is  51  to  54  hours.  Satur- 
day all  year  is  from  one  to  four  hours  shorter  than 
other  days.  No  firm  was  found  to  have  Sunday 
work. 

There  is  more  or  less  overtime  from  November  to 
Christmas.  Work  is  prolonged  one  to  three  hours 
for  two  to  four  nights  per  week.  Overtime  is  said 
not  to  be  compulsory,  but  this  statement  can  seldom 
be  depended  upon. 

The  busy  season  begins  in  July  or  August  and 
lasts  until  Christmas.  Firms  making  creams,  pow- 
ders and  perfumes  and  handling  soaps  have  a “soap 
and  powder  season”  from  January  to  July  and  per- 
fumery season  from  July  to  Christmas.  A firm  of 
this  kind  is  busy  all  the  year,  the  girls  working  in 
both  lines. 

One  firm  which  specializes  on  hair  tonic  and  im- 
ports perfumes  has  its  busy  season  from  January  to 
July.  Other  firms  keep  only  their  oldest  and  best 
workers  during  the  dull  season  while  some  work 
five  days  each  week  at  this  season  in  order  to  keep 
their  workers.  One  firm  gives  vacations  in  the 
dull  season  paying  each  older  worker  for  two  weeks 
and  workers  of  over  a year  for  one  week. 

There  is  no  team  work. 

This  trade  is  not  unionized.  One  forewoman  said 
that  the  work  is  too  unskilled  to  be  unionized  as 
any  employer  can  get  new  workers  at  any  time. 

The  workers  in  perfumery  are  largely  native 
Americans,  German  Americans  and  Irish  Ameri- 
cans. No  lines  are  drawn  to  exclude  any  nation- 
ality, but  it  is  found  that  few  Jewish  workers  are 
in  the  trade. 

No  home  work  was  reported  by  any  firm. 

The  work  is  simple,  it  is  learned  easily  and  is 
light  and  clean.  Workers  may  sit  or  stand,  which 
is  an  advantage  over  standing  all  the  time. 

Hours  of  work  are  good  on  the  whole  even  with 


Hours 

and 

Overtime 


Seasons 


TeamWork 

Unions 


Nationality 


Homework 

Summary 


Recom- 

mendation 


overtime  in  the  busy  season.  Workers  are  of  good 
average  type  and  the  work  is  fairly  steady.  Girls 
were  found  who  had  been  in  the  trade  from  six  to 
twelve  years. 

Work  in  this  trade  where  conditions  are  good  is 
recommended  for  a certain  type  of  girl, — the  one 
who  is  not  mentally  equipped  for  more  ambitious 
work  and  who  is  neat  and  quick.  It  is  not  a good 
trade  for  a boy,  “unless”,  as  one  superintendent 
said,  “he  has  education  and  ambition  enough  to  do 
laboratory  work,  when  his  advance  is  limited  only 
by  his  knowledge  of  chemistry”.  Work  in  the 
powder  rooms  cannot  be  recommended  because  of 
the  dust  and  because  there  is  no  real  future  for  the 
boy. 


12 


PAPER  BOX  MAKING. 


Visits  to  fifty-four  workrooms.  Interviews  with 
twenty-three  girls.  The  inquiry  covered  places 
where  all  kinds  and  sizes  of  pasteboard  boxes  are 
made,  including  the  ordinary  run  of  boxes,  cigarette 
boxes,  hat  boxes,  both  round  and  square,  suit  boxes 
and  cartons.  While  these  last  are  made  in  so-called 
paper-box  factories  the  machinery  and  processes  are 
not  the  same  as  those  in  the  ordinary  factories. 

I.  Scoring.  This  is  the  making  of  deep  indenta- 
tions along  the  sides  of  each  sheet  of  rough  card- 
board, in  order  to  mark  off  the  sides  and  ends  of 
the  box.  This  is  done  by  a machine  run  by  boys  or 
men. 

There  is  a double  scoring  machine  in  use  in  some 
factories  by  which  all  the  scoring  on  each  sheet  is 
done  in  one  process. 

* II.  Cornering.  This  is  the  cutting  out  of  square 

pieces  from  the  corners  of  each  sheet  of  the  rough 
cardboard  so  that  the  box  may  be  “set  up”.  Several 
sheets  are  cornered  at  one  time.  These  machines 
are  not  dangerous,  but  are  run  by  boys  and  men, 
mainly  because  of  the  weight  of  the  number  of 
sheets  handled  at  one  time. 

III.  Staying  or  “setting  up”.  This  consists  in 
folding  a side  and  an  end  together  and  running  a 
piece  of  paper  along  the  two  edges  to  hold  them 
together  and  to  straighten  the  corner  thus  formed. 
The  machine  which  does  this  is  the  only  really 
dangerous  machine  in  the  trade  and  is  run  by  men, 
boys  or  girls.  In  the  East  Side  factories  men  or 
t boys  run  it  almost  invariably;  on  the  West  Side 

it  is  usually  run  by  girls.  The  operator  sits  on  a 
low  stool. 

l IV.  Stripping.  This  consists  in  covering  the 

sides  of  the  box  and  cover  with  paper.  The  box  or 

13 


Sources  of 
Information 


Processes 


cover  is  placed  on  a wooden  block  the  size  and  shape 
of  the  box  and  is  turned  around  as  a gummed  strip 
of  paper  is  fed  out  by  the  stripping  machine.  This 
strip  is  guided  by  the  operator  who  presses  it  down 
firmly.  The  paper  extends  about  a half  inch  beyond 
the  sides  of  the  box  at  the  top  and  bottom.  When 
she  has  gone  nearly  around  the  box  she  brings 
down  a knife  which  cuts  the  strip ; the  latter  is  then 
fastened  at  a corner.  The  covers  of  boxes  some- 
times have  an  additional  strip  of  gilt  around  them. 
In  this  case  the  two  strips  are  carried  around  to- 
gether. The  knife  used  can  be  worked  by  the  foot, 
but  the  stripper  usually  throws  it  down  with  her 
hand  and  then  lifts  it  to  have  it  ready  for  the  next 
time.  The  stripping  machine  is  very  simple  and 
cannot  be  considered  dangerous.  It  is  always  run 
by  girls  who  sit  at  their  work. 

V.  Turning-in.  Each  stripper  has  a “turner-in” 
who  sits  at  the  same  table  and  who  presses  down 
the  half-inch  extension  at  the  edges  of  the  box.  The 
turner-in  carries  the  boxes  from  the  setter-up  to  the 
stripper  and  from  the  stripper  to  the  top  labeller. 
Thus  the  stripper  and  turner-in  form  a “team”  and 
work  together.  All  turners-in  are  girls  and  they  sit 
at  their  work. 

VI.  Top-labeling.  This  is  putting  paper  on  the 
top  of  the  cover  and,  when  required,  on  the  bottom 
of  the  box.  The  cover  is  laid  on  a block  and  a 
gummed  strip  is  brought  down  upon  it  by  a ma- 
chine (usually  worked  by  foot  power)  while  the 
top-labeller  presses  it  down.  This  machine  is  run 
by  girls  and  is  not  dangerous.  The  girls  must  stand. 

VII.  Finishing.  This  is  hand  work  and  consists 
in  putting  lace  paper  around  the  inside  edges  of  the 
fancy  boxes,  inserting  tapes,  strips  of  paper  for 
covering  contents  of  box  when  filled,  etc.  The  older 
women  are  usually  found  at  the  finishing  table. 

VIII.  Labeling.  This  is  putting  on  the  end  of 
each  box  a label  containing  either  the  name  of  the 
manufacturer,  his  trademark  or  the  name  of  the 
goods  the  box  is  to  hold.  Done  by  girls. 

14 


IX.  Closing.  This  is  simply  putting  the  covers 
on  the  boxes,  after  which  they  are  tied  up  in  dozen 
or  other  lots  ready  for  shipment.  Both  boys  and 
girls  do  this. 

The  covers  of  some  small  boxes  have  a small  semi- 
circular piece  cut  out  of  each  of  the  sides  (boxes 
for  spool  thread,  for  example)  for  convenience  in 
opening  the  boxes.  This  is  done  by  the  “thumber”, 
a very  simple  machine  operated  by  either  boys  or 
girls. 

These  are  the  various  processes  in  the  making  of 
the  ordinary  paper  box.  In  making  some  of  the 
very  large  boxes  the  stripping  and  top-labeling  are 
done  entirely  by  hand  and  the  women  who  do  it 
are  called  “table  hands”.  They  stand  all  day  at  a 
table  and  glue  their  own  strips.  This  is  the  method 
used  in  the  making  of  suit  boxes  and  round  hat 
boxes. 

Cartons  for  holding  salt,  chloride  of  lime  etc., 
are  made  by  entirely  different  processes  and  the 
factories  in  which  they  are  made  are  not  really 
paper-box  factories,  although  sometimes  so-called. 
We  were  unable  to  get  into  any  of  these  workrooms. 
Cartons  for  holding  cream  are  made  by  another 
method.  So  far  as  can  be  ascertained  these  last  are 
made  under  a special  patent  and  at  only  one  place 
in  New  York  City.  The  men  run  the  machine  and 
unskilled  girls  do  what  little  hand  work  there  is. 
The  girls  are  paid  by  the  piece  and  are  said  to 
make  $1.25  a day. 

Most  of  the  paper-box  factories  are  below  14th 
Street,  both  on  the  east  and  west  sides  of  the  city. 
The  trade  has  certain  centres  of  location,  if  one  may 
use  the  term.  A number  of  factories  are  located 
below  14th  Street  on  the  West  Side,  Elizabeth 
Street  and  Mulberry  Street  form  other  centres.  In 
one  building  were  four  factories,  in  another  three, 
and  so  on. 

The  buildings  in  which  paper-box  factories  are  lo- 
cated range  from  the  very  worst  to  the  very  best. 

15 


Cartons 


Work- 

rooms 


Appren- 

ticeship 


Wages 


Hours 

and 

Overtime 


In  the  building  referred  to  above,  where  four  fac- 
tories were  found,  the  stairs  and  halls  were  narrow, 
dark  and  dirty  and  all  but  one  of  the  workrooms 
were  dirty.  On  the  other  hand  a number  of  fac- 
tories are  to  be  found  in  up-to-date  buildings. 

The  turner-in  is  the  apprentice  in  this  trade,  al- 
though sometimes  the  new  worker  is  put  at  label- 
ing or  closing.  She  expects  to  become  a stripper, 
although  she  may  become  a top  labeller.  There  are 
no  successive  steps  in  this  trade,  as  in  some  others, 
and  strippers  seldom  become  top-labellers  or 
finishers. 

In  many  factories  of  the  middle  and  lower  grades 
we  were  told  that  no  girls  under  sixteen  years  of 
age  were  taken,  but  when  questioned  further  the 
employer  admitted  that  he  did  take  them  if  they 
had  their  “working  papers”  and  “of  course”  they 
worked  the  same  hours  as  the  older  women.  In  the 
best  factories  no  girls  under  sixteen  are  employed. 

The  turner-in  starts  at  $3  to  $4.50,  usually  the 
latter.  One  place  which  paid  only  $2  was  found  and 
in  one  factory  learners  give  one  week’s  time. 

Strippers  earn  from  $6  to  $9,  occasionally  even 

$10. 

Top  labellers  and  bottom  labellers  earn  from  $8 
to  $11  a week. 

Finishers  and  “table  hands”  earn  $10  to  $11. 

Except  during  the  busy  season  the  hours  in  paper 
box  factories  are  exceptionally  good.  The  total 
hours  ranged  from  50Y2  (in  one  place)  to  56]/2  (in 
one  place),  the  usual  number  of  hours  being  55  or 
56.  The  half  holiday  in  summer  is  given  without 
exception  but  in  many  places  girls  come  in  Yl  hour 
earlier  or  leave  Yl  hour  later  than  during  the  re- 
maining months  of  the  year.  Where  this  is  not  done 
Yl  day’s  wages  is  usually  deducted  although  one 
man  said  that  his  workers  were  so  independent  that 
he  must  pay  them  for  the  half  day  or  he  would  lose 
them.  In  a few  places  the  half  day  is  given  out- 
right, although  the  piece  workers,  of  course,  lose  the 
time. 


16 


The  busy  seasons  are  from  January  to  March,  Seasons 
and  from  September  to  November.  During  these 
months  there  is  considerable  overtime  in  many  of 
the  factories,  but  very  often  the  total  number  of 
hours  per  week  comes  well  within  the  number  al- 
lowed by  law.  In  other  cases  the  girls  (including 
those  under  16)  work  63  to  68  hours.  We  found 
one  factory  where,  in  the  busy  season,  the  girls 
worked  7 days  and  5 evenings  from  September  to 
November. 

A great  deal  of  work  is  given  out.  Cigarette  Homework 
boxes  and  small  novelty  boxes  (for  pins,  buttons, 
etc.),  are  covered  in  the  homes.  We  are  told  that 
the  same  prices  are  paid  as  for  similar  work  done  in 
the  factory,  but  have  no  way  of  testing  this  state- 
ment. 

In  the  factories  where  cigarette  boxes  are  made  Team 
the  covering  is  done  by  hand,  by  teams  of  three  Work 
usually,  a man  and  two  girls.  The  man  is  the  cap- 
tain of  the  team  and  receives  piece-work  wages 
from  which  he  pays  the  girls. 

On  the  East  Side  many  Jewish  girls  were  found  Nationality 
l and  some  Italians;  on  the  West  Side,  Italian,  of  Workers 

Jewish  and  Irish  girls.  The  type  ranged  from  very 
low  to  high  grade  girls.  Factories  were  found  where 
men  working  in  the  same  room  with  girls  smoked 
cigarettes  while  they  worked  and  in  other  factories 
the  men  and  women  were  kept  entirely  separate. 

Often  they  were  in  different  parts  of  the  same  large 
loft. 

Some  workrooms  where  the  girls  are  Jewish  are 
closed  on  Saturday  and  open  on  Sunday. 

As  has  been  said  before,  the  only  dangerous  ma-  Safeguards 
chine  in  this  trade  is  the  setting-up  or  staying  ma- 
chine, which,  as  stated  above,  is  usually  run  on  the 
East  Side  by  men  and  boys,  on  the  West  Side,  by 
* girls.  There  are  two  kinds  of  safeguards  furnished 

for  this  machine.  One  kind  is  fastened  on  the  ma- 
chine, but  can  be  and  generally  is  removed;  the 
l other  consists  of  a pair  of  steel  fingers  which  the 

operator  wears  or  more  often  does  not  wear.  The 

17 


Summary 


Recom- 

mendation 


attitude  of  many  of  the  firms  is,  “We  furnish  the 
safeguards;  if  the  girls  don’t  use  them  it  is  their 
own  fault”,  but  they  are  not  upheld  in  this  attitude 
by  the  law  which  makes  the  use  of  the  safeguards 
imperative.  We  found  only  one  employer  who  in- 
sisted on  the  use  of  the  guards.  The  crushing  of  a 
girl’s  finger  by  the  setting-up  machine  is  a common 
occurrence.  It  is  true  that  this  is  caused  by  the 
operator’s  own  carelessness  for  the  men,  who  never 
use  the  guards,  seldom  meet  with  accidents.  Still, 
girls  are  careless  and  the  guards  should  be  used. 
The  girls  object  to  using  the  guards,  just  why  we 
could  not  find  out,  as  we  could  not  see  that  their 
use  “lessened  the  output”,  the  usual  reason  given. 

Girls  starting  at  $4  to  $4.50  can  reach  a maximum 
of  $10  to  $11  in  V/2  to  2 years.  The  normal  hours 
are  good  and  in  busy  season  the  overtime  is  not,  as 
a rule,  excessive.  There  are  many  girls  of  good 
grade  found  in  the  trade,  and,  judging  from  the 
very  few  applications  from  paper-box  makers  re- 
ceived at  the  Bureau,  the  girls  stick  to  the  trade. 
The  tendency  is  to  work  overtime  rather  than  to 
engage  extra  workers  in  the  busy  season.  This  im- 
plies fairly  steady  work. 

The  placing  of  girls  at  paper-box  making  is 
recommended  for  the  reasons  given  in  the  summary. 


18 


CANDY  TRADE. 


Visits  to  twenty-two  factories  and  talks  with  Sources  of 
sixty-eight  girls.  We  were  admitted  to  only  ten  Information 
workrooms. 

I.  Making  the  Candy.  Candy  is  known  as  hard  Processes 
candy  and  chocolates  and  bonbons.  The  candy  is 

made  by  men  only. 

II.  Dipping. 

1.  Machine  Dipping.  The  dipping  machine 
is  run  by  men,  but  girls  place  on  the  machines  the 
trays  of  candy  to  be  dipped.  These  trays  are  dipped 
in  a vat  of  chocolate  and  the  girls  then  take  them 
off  and  put  them  into  cold  storage. 

6 2.  Hand  Dipping.  Hand  dippers  of  choco- 

late and  bonbons  sit  at  long  tables,  each  before  a 
marble  bowl  set  in  a marble  slab,  much  like  a sta- 
^ tionary  wash  bowl.  This  bowl  is  filled  with  choco- 

late or  cream  as  the  case  may  be.  The  chocolate 
dippers  put  into  the  bowl  with  the  naked  hand  each 
candy  to  be  covered  and  simply  turn  it  over  until  it 
is  covered,  sometimes  finishing  the  process  by  mark- 
ing a cross  or  other  figure  on  the  top  with  the  finger 
nail.  Bonbon  dippers  use  a fork  or  ladle  on  which 
the  bonbon  is  laid.  It  is  stirred  around  in  the  cream 
until  covered.  The  candy  is  then  placed  on  oiled 
paper  on  trays  which  are  put  into  cold  storage. 

Chocolates  and  bonbons  are  kept  in  storage  for 
weeks,  perhaps  months.  All  fine  chocolates  are 
dipped  by  hand  and  the  girls  become  very  expert 
at  this  work.  The  dippers  are  the  expert  workers 
of  the  candy  trade  and  make  good  wages,  as  we 
* shall  see  later  on. 

III.  Wrapping  and  Packing  are  processes  that 
need  little  description.  When  girls  are  packing 

l chocolates  of  several  flavors  and  varieties  they  walk 

around  a long  table  on  which  are  the  various 

19 


Work- 

rooms 


The 

Coldroom 


candies  and  fill  their  boxes  as  they  walk.  One  firm 
puts  up  a box  of  one  hundred  and  one  chocolates,  no 
two  alike.  No  special  skill  is  required  in  this  branch 
of  the  work,  but  the  girls  who  do  up  the  packages 
and  tie  them  with  cord  or  ribbon  are,  it  seems  to 
the  onlooker,  very  skillful  indeed. 

Candy  factories  range  in  size  from  whole  build- 
ings where  hundreds  of  girls  are  employed  to 
single  rooms  in  old  buildings  where  sometimes  only 
four  or  five  girls  are  at  work.  In  the  larger  factories 
the  men  and  women  usually  work  in  separate 
rooms,  sometimes  even  on  separate  floors,  while 
in  the  smallest  factories  the  men  and  girls  work 
together  perforce. 

All  but  one  of  the  workrooms  visited  were  clean 
and  this  corresponds  to  statements  made  in  nearly 
every  case  by  the  girls  interviewed.  In  some  of  the 
small  candy  factories  the  girls  clean  their  own 
tables  by  scrubbing  them,  while  in  the  larger 
factories  the  rough  cleaning  is  done  by  scrub 
women.  The  workrooms  are  light,  but  poorly 
ventilated  usually,  because  the  workers  refuse  to 
have  the  windows  opened.  Space  is  adequate,  ex- 
cept in  the  busy  seasons,  when  it  is  quite  probable 
that  the  workers  are  greatly  crowded,  especially  at 
the  packing  tables. 

Chocolates  are  usually  dipped  in  what  is  known 
as  “the  cold  room”  and  there  has  been  at  various 
times  considerable  discussion  as  to  whether  or  not 
it  was  necessary  to  keep  down  the  temperature  of 
the  dipping-room.  Of  course,  in  summer  any  room 
at  summer  heat  would  be  too  warm  for  the  dipping 
and  in  most  factories  the  dipping  room  is  then 
cooled  by  artificial  means.  No  employer  will  admit 
that  the  temperature  ever  falls  below  sixty-eight, 
but  it  was  noticed  that  in  most  factories  the  girls 
in  the  dipping  room  wore  their  wraps.  The  girls 
almost  invariably  say  that  the  dipping  room  is  cold, 
but  unfortunately  most  girls  seem  to  like  hot, 
stuffy  rooms.  However,  there  seems  to  be  no 
doubt  but  that  the  temperature  in  most  dipping 

20 


rooms  is  not  more  than  fifty-eight  or  sixty,  too  cold 
for  girls  to  sit  at  work.  A French  confectioner 
said  that  a cold  room  was  unnecessary  so  long  as 
the  chocolates  were  put  into  cold  storage  as  soon 
as  dipped.  He  had  been  in  business  more  than 
forty  years  and  said  that  a cold  dipping  room  was 
unheard  of  forty  years  ago.  Some  firms  have  a set 
of  small  refrigerators  and  claim  not  to  have  the 
dipping  room  ever  below  sixty-eight. 

There  is  nothing  which  can  be  called  apprentice- 
ship in  a candy  factory.  In  the  busy  season  un- 
skilled girls  are  taken  on  as  packers  or  wrappers. 
Some  of  these  may  develop  into  chocolate  dippers, 
but  it  is  much  more  likely  that  the  dippers  are  re- 
cruited from  among  the  regular  packers  and 
wrappers.  Packing  is  one  of  the  kinds  of  work  into 
which  unskilled  girls  go  for  a short  time  and  it 
very  often  starts  a young  girl  out  on  her  career  as 
a “floater.”  Sometimes  these  girls  go  back  each 
season  to  the  candy  factories,  filling  in  their  time 
between  seasons  with  whatever  odd  jobs  come 
their  way. 

Packers.  Receive  $3  to  $5.50,  rarely  $6  per  week, 
the  usual  wages  being  $5.  Two  girls  claimed  to 
have  earned  $7.  For  overtime  extra  pay  is  given, 
varying  from  eight  cents  an  hour  to  twenty-five 
cents  an  evening.  Sometimes  overtime  is  paid  for 
at  regular  rates  and  occasionally  supper  is 
furnished. 

Wrappers  receive  $5  and  $6  per  week. 

Dippers  are  sometimes  paid  by  the  week,  but 
oftener  are  on  piece  work.  When  paid  by  the  week 
they  get  $7  to  $10;  at  piece  work  they  sometimes 
earn  as  much  as  $11  and  average  $9.50  to  $10. 

The  normal  hours  are  usually  much  less  than 
sixty,  the  lowest  being  forty-eight,  in  one  case 
only.  The  average  is  fifty-four  or  fifty-five  hours. 
In  the  busy  season  girls  in  some  factories  work 
seventy-six  or  seventy-seven  hours  a week.  In  one 
factory  where  conditions  are  so  good  that  customers 


Appren- 

ticeship 


Wages 


Hours  and 
Overtime 


Seasons 


Summary 


Recom- 

mendation 


are  invited  to  visit  it  the  hours  just  before  Christ- 
mas were  from  sixty-eight  to  seventy-three  a week. 

In  some  places  the  girls  of  the  best  type  are  some- 
times transferred  to  the  salesrooms,  but  not  all  of 
the  girls  consider  this  a promotion,  as  sometimes 
the  girls  work  seventy-nine  and  one-half  hours  as 
salesclerks  and  one  firm  has  been  known  to  send 
salesclerks  home  at  two  A.  M.  These  girls  not  only 
sell  goods  but  pack  some  of  the  fancy  boxes  at  the 
salesroom. 

The  busy  season  is  from  September  to  Christmas. 

During  these  months  a large  extra  force  of  workers 
is  taken  on,  mostly  for  packing.  At  Christmas  all 
these  are  laid  off.  Just  before  Easter  and  again 
before  Fourth  of  July  are  other  “rush”  seasons  but 
not  so  many  extra  workers  are  needed  at  this  time. 

It  is  possible  for  an  “extra”  girl  to  get  perhaps  five 
months*  work  in  the  year. 

The  dipper  is  the  expert  worker  in  the  trade,  but 
very  few  of  the  packers  and  wrappers  ever  qualify  as 
dippers.  The  time  for  placing  a girl  is  in  the  busy 
season  when  she  works  long  hours  for  poor  pay  and  is 
then  turned  off  at  the  two  seasons  of  the  year  when  it  i 

is  hardest  to  find  work.  Just  after  Christmas  is  per- 
haps the  dullest  time  in  the  year  and  just  after  Easter 
the  spring  season,  except  in  certain  skilled  trades,  is 
past  its  height. 

The  placing  of  girls  in  candy  factories  cannot  be 
recommended.  Whenever  possible,  they  should  be 
urged  not  to  take  this  work  and  the  above  reasons 
should  be  given  them. 


x 


22 


CASE  MAKING  FOR  JEWELRY  AND 
SILVERWARE. 


Visits  to  sixty-six  firms  listed  under  manu- 
facturers of  jewelry  cases  and  fancy  boxes. 

A number  of  these  firms  were  engaged  in  making 
gold  cases  for  watches  and  wooden  cases ; some  had 
only  their  offices  here  in  New  York  and  some  had 
removed  or  gone  out  of  business.  Eliminating  all 
firms  not  dealing  in  jewelry  and  silverware  cases, 
there  remain  forty-five  firms  upon  which  to  base  our 
inquiry.  Thirty  workrooms  were  visited 

I.  Casemaking.  Wooden  cases  are  made  by 
cabinet  workers  who  are  all  men  and  experienced 
workers. 

The  various  machines  are  extremely  dangerous, 
especially  the  circular  saws,  and  the  moulding  and 
sand  papering  machines.  “Workers  must  just  be 
careful,  as  the  machines  are  not  provided  with 
safeguards.”  One  employer  said  that  there  is  not  a 
man  in  this  work  who  has  not  a scar  or  a maimed 
finger  or  two.  Another  said  that  because  of  the 
unguarded  machinery  and  the  many  accidents  there- 
from he  would  not  advise  a boy  to  enter  this  branch 
of  the  business. 

In  addition  to  the  danger  from  machinery  the 
workroom  atmosphere  is  filled  with  sawdust.  A 
blowpipe  is  used  to  remove  dust  at  the  sandpapering 
machines  but  not  elsewhere.  Employers  say  that 
sawdust  is  not  injurious  and  point  to  workmen  who 
have  been  working  in  it  for  more  than  twenty  years. 

II.  Matching  up.  This  is  fitting  the  top  and  the 
bottom  of  the  case  together  and  adjusting  the 
hinges  and  the  fastening  to  insure  the  case  closing 
properly.  Holes  for  the  fastenings  are  burned 


Sources  of 
Information 


Processes 


through  the  wood  with  an  iron  or  steel  tool.  When 
fitted  perfectly  the  fastening  and  hinges  are  re- 
moved and  laid  aside  until  the  case  is  covered. 

III.  Covering.  Cheaper  grade  covers  are  cut  in 
quantity  by  a cutting  machine  run  by  a man. 
Leather  is  cut  with  a knife,  and  the  edges  are  pared 
thin  with  a paring  knife  on  a lithographer’s  stone. 
The  leather  must  be  slightly  dampened  before 
applying  it  as  a cover.  Paste  is  applied  only  upon 
the  edges  and  the  whole  fitted  to  the  case  smoothly 
and  evenly.  Persons  having  moist  hands  cannot 
work  on  leather  as  the  more  delicately  tinted  covers 
would  be  ruined  and  even  dark  ones  would  be  dis- 
figured by  the  moisture.  The  finer  cases  are  made 
by  men  while  girls  are  allowed  to  do  only  the 
cheaper  grade  cases,  chiefly  for  silverware.  These 
are  covered  with  moreen  and  leatherette  or  imitation 
leather. 

When  covered  the  case  is  put  under  a weight  to 
stand  until  dry. 

IV.  Blocking.  This  is  covering  a form  of 
heavy  paper  or  cardboard  to  fit  the  bottom  and  the 
top  of  the  case.  The  one  for  the  top  is  usually 
covered  with  pleatings  or  puffings  of  the  lining. 
If  left  plain  a padding  of  cotton  is  used  as  inter- 
lining. The  one  for  the  bottom  may  have  a padding 
of  cotton,  corrugated  cardboard  or  blocks  of  wood 
glued  upon  it.  These  blocks  of  wood  are  shaped  to 
fit  the  article  to  be  placed  in  the  case.  The  lining 
material — cotton,  brocade,  silk,  satin  or  velvet — 
is  laid  over  this  form  and  neatly  pleated,  puffed  or 
pressed  into  the  shaped  blocks  with  a folder  or 
knife.  Edges  are  turned  with  the  folder  and  pasted 
to  the  back. 

V.  Handtooling  or  “finishing.”  This  process 
is  found  only  in  the  finer  leather  cases  which  have 
the  edges  and  top  decorated  with  hand  tooling  and 
gilding.  Men  who  do  this  are  expert  workers  and 
well  paid. 

VI.  Hingeing.  Hinges  and  fastening  are  now 
put  in  place  to  stay.  A strap  hinge  of  the  lining  is 

24 


made  by  covering  an  interlining  strip  to  fit  inside 
of  the  back  of  the  case  to  which  the  hinge  is 
attached.  The  opposite  end  of  this  when  attached 
to  the  inside  of  the  cover  conceals  the  metal  hinges. 

VII.  Lining.  A strip  of  cardboard  is  covered 
with  lining,  fitted  into  the  case  and  glued  to  the 
sides.  In  the  trade  they  term  this  “border”  or 
“centre.”  The  block  for  the  bottom  of  the  case  is 
now  put  in  place,  the  strap  hinge  attached  to  the 
cover,  the  lining  of  the  cover  set  in  and  the  case 
is  complete. 

When  cases  are  made  to  order  the  customer’s 
name  is  usually  printed  in  gilt  or  color  on  the  lining 
for  the  top  before  it  is  put  into  the  case. 

About  one-half  of  these  firms  are  in  Maiden  Lane  Work- 
and  nearby  streets,  as  this  neighborhood  is  the  rooms 
centre  of  the  jewelry  trade.  The  remainder  are 
found  in  various  parts  of  the  city  below  Forty- 
second  street. 

The  smaller  places  downtown  are  in  very  dingy 
old  buildings  with  narrow  halls  and  stairways. 

Some  of  them  consist  of  merely  one  small  room 
divided  by  a partition  into  a tiny  showroom  or 
office  and  the  workroom.  Others  occupy  one  or 
several  lofts,  one  of  the  largest  having  five  lofts. 

Most  of  the  rooms  where  girls  work  are  clean, 
light  and  well  ventilated.  Where  only  men  work 
conditions  are  not  so  good. 

Some  good  workrooms  had  dirty  and  littered 
stairs  and  halls  leading  to  them.  Some  firms  employ 
both  men  and  women,  the  men  for  the  carpentry 
work  and  the  covering  with  velvet  and  other  heavy 
material ; the  women  for  covering  with  light  weight 
material  and  for  lining. 

In  places  where  cases  are  made  as  well  as  covered 
the  carpentry  department  is  distinct  from  the  lining 
and  covering  department,  either  on  a different  floor 
or  in  a different  part  of  the  same  loft. 

Where  both  men  and  women  are  employed  they 
work  on  different  floors  or  in  different  parts  of  the 
same  floor.  Each  body  of  workers  has  its  own  head. 

25 


Appren- 

ticeship 


Wages 


A few  firms  make  paper  boxes  in  which  to  enclose 
their  cases.  Where  this  is  done  by  hand  the 
workers  are  in  a group  apart  from  the  casemakers. 
Where  boxes  are  made  by  machinery  there  is  a 
special  department  for  the  paper  box  making. 

Boys.  If  a boy  is  taken  as  apprentice  at  case 
making  he  runs  errands,  cleans  up  shop,  and  is  “put 
on  the  bench”  to  learn  the  use  of  hammer,  saw, 
chisel  etc.,  and  to  do  joining  and  gluing  until  he  is 
twenty-one.  Not  until  then  is  he  allowed  to  go 
on  the  machines.  At  places  where  covering  and 
lining  are  done  the  apprentice  runs  errands,  cleans 
the  shop,  learns  how  to  handle  the  paste  and  glue, 
his  materials  and  tools.  Gradually  he  works  up  to 
the  best  grade  of  work. 

Girls.  The  first  step  for  a girl  is  to  learn  how 
to  handle  her  paste,  glue  and  brush.  She  puts  in 
the  paddings,  covers  strips  for  lining,  glues  forms 
or  blocks  into  place,  covers  and  lines  the  cheapest 
grade  cases,  then  the  better  ones. 

Six  firms  take  no  learners  and  firms  that  take 
boys  take  only  one  or  two  a year.  No  girls  under 
sixteen  are  taken,  but  some  firms  take  boys  at 
fifteen. 

Apprentices  start  at  $3  or  $4  a week,  usually  the 
boys  at  $3  and  the  girls  at  $4.  If  they  have  been 
at  a trade  school  they  may  start  at  $5.  Some  train- 
ing thus  enables  a worker  to  start  for  more,  but 
employers  say  it  does  not  follow  that  such  worker 
will  advance  any  faster  than  the  one  who  begins  in 
the  factory.  Some  employers  prefer  to  train  their 
own  workers  in  their  own  way. 

To  reach  the  full  wage  in  high  grade  work 
requires  from  two  to  five  years. 

Casemakers  (men)  earn  $12  to  $24.  Coverers 
and  liners  (boys  and  men)  $12  to  $25,  usually  $15 
or  $18.  Coverers  and  liners  (girls  and  women)  $6 
to  $9,  occasionally  $12  to  $14.  Hand  toolers  or 
finishers  (men)  earn  $4  a day  and  during  the  busiest 
time  may  earn  as  high  as  $35  or  $40  a week.  In 

26 


most  places  hand  tooling  is  done  outside  by  men 
who  do  this  work  only. 

Workers  are  usually  paid  time  and  a half  for  over- 
time. Some  firms  pay  time  and  a quarter.  One 
pays  thirty-five  per  cent,  over  regular  wages  and 
one  gives  double  pay.  Workers  are  generally  raised 
fifty  cents  a week  once  or  twice  a year  until  the 
maximum  is  reached. 

The  day  is  usually  nine  and  one-half  hours  long  Hours  and 
though  some  firms  have  nine  and  a few  ten  hours.  Overtime 
Total  number  of  hours  for  work  is  fifty-one  to 
fifty-six  hours.  Saturday  in  winter  is  one  to  four 
hours  shorter  than  other  days  and  in  summer  or 
when  very  dull  workrooms  close  for  Saturday  after- 
noons. The  half  day  is  usually  made  up  by  an 
earlier  hour  for  opening  or  a later  one  for  closing. 

No  firms  work  on  Sunday  instead  of  Saturday. 

The  busy  season  uniformly  begins  in  July  or  Seasons 
August  and  lasts  until  Christmas.  Firms  making 
salesmen’s  cases  are  busiest  in  January,  February 
and  July.  Some  firms  keep  busy  all  the  year  by 
doing  stock  and  repair  work;  others  keep  only  the 
oldest  and  best  workers  during  the  dull  season, 
while  others  work  half  or  three-quarter  time. 

There  is  more  or  less  overtime  during  the  busy 
season.  A month  or  six  weeks  before  Christmas 
work  is  prolonged  one  to  three  hours,  two,  three 
or  four  evenings  a week.  In  some  places  where 
only  men  are  employed  they  sometimes  work  every 
night.  In  one  or  two  places  there  is  Sunday  work 
for  men  if  it  is  necessary  to  fill  orders.  Places 
which  are  “busy  all  the  year”  usually  close  down 
for  repairs  for  a week  or  two  after  Christmas. 

Only  four  firms  report  home  work.  It  is  paid  for  Homework 
by  the  gross.  This  is  the  only  piece  work.  Definite 
price  for  such  work  could  not  be  obtained  except 
in  one  place.  A girl  who  makes  velvet-covered 
ring  boxes  is  paid  at  the  rate  of  $9  per  gross.  Such 
boxes  usually  retail  at  forty  cents  each. 

There  is  no  team  work  in  this  trade.  One  Team-work 


27 


Unions 


Nation- 

ality 


Summary 


manager  said  he  thought  that  it  would  be  a good 
thing,  but  that  it  had  not  been  tried. 

A case  may  pass  through  several  hands  or  be 
made  by  one  worker. 

The  trade  is  not  unionized.  Some  years  ago  a 
strike  was  declared,  demanding  recognition  of  the 
then  existing  union,  better  pay  for  overtime  etc.,  but 
it  failed  and  rather  injured  the  trade. 

Some  of  the  men  opened  up  small  places  and  cut 
prices  and  “the  trade  has  been  split  up  ever  since.” 

Formerly  case  making  was  in  the  hands  of 
Germans  or  German-Americans,  but  now  “Jewish 
wrorkers  are  taking  over  the  trade.”  Jewish, 
German-American  and  Italian  workers  are  found  in 
numbers  about  in  the  order  named.  The  type  of 
workers  is  good. 

Women  workers  of  average  intelligence  may 
rise  to  $12  or  $14  a week  in  a few  years.  In  the 
covering  and  lining  branch  of  the  trade  there  is  no 
dangerous  machinery,  there  are  no  poisonous 
substances  to  be  handled,  no  dust  and  litter  and  no 
noise. 

Hours  of  work  are  good  on  the  whole,  even  con- 
sidering the  overtime. 

Workers  are  of  good  type.  W ork  is  fairly  steady. 
Girls  generally  stay  until  they  marry  and  some  men 
have  been  with  the  same  firm  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  years. 

Few  girls  do  high  grade  work.  If  a girl  really 
wished  to  do  high  grade  work  some  employers  hold 
that  she  could.  Some  say  she  has  not  done  it  simply 
because  she  was  not  instructed,  as  no  one  cares  to 
waste  time  on  a worker  who  is  not  in  the  trade  to 
stay.  Still  others  claim  that  it  is  not  possible  for 
a girl  to  handle  leather  etc.,  as  a man  can.  Indica- 
tions are  that  girls  are  entering  the  trade  more  and 
more  each  year. 

Employers  are  almost  unanimous  in  pronouncing 
this  “a  good  trade  for  a boy  if  he  will  stick  to  it.” 
Most  firms  complain  of  great  difficulty  in  getting 
the  right  kind  of  boys  as  apprentices,  “the  kind  that 

28 


will  stick,”  and  prefer  boys  of  any  other  nationality 
rather  than  the  native  American. 

Covering  and  lining  cases  is  recommended  as  a 
good  trade  for  both  boys  and  girls  provided,  as  the 
Bureau  advises  in  all  trades,  they  work  in  factories 
where  conditions  are  found  to  be  good. 

Casemaking,  open  to  boys  only,  is  not  recom- 
mended because  of  the  dangerous  machinery,  and 
dust-laden  air  of  the  workroom. 

NOTE: — These  Inquiries  were  made  before  the 
54  hour  law  went  into  effect  and  the  statements  as 
to  overtime  must  be  considered  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  60  hour  law.  The  law  has  been  in 
force  for  too  short  a time  for  trustworthy  informa- 
tion as  to  its  workings  to  be  secured  but  it  is 
known  that  in  several  candy  factories  the  law  was 
broken  last  December.  One  man  in  the  perfumery 
business  said,  “Of  course  we  shall  have  overtime  in 
our  busy  season  even  if  it  does  exceed  54  hours 
a week.”  A paper  box  manufacturer  writes,  “The 
better  class  of  firms  will  keep  the  law.  I can’t  say 
about  the  low  grade  places”.  As  the  Inquiries 
show,  the  overtime  in  sample  mounting  was  usually 
well  within  the  60  hour  law,  so  that  in  this  trade 
we  shall  probably  find  the  54  hour  law  kept.  In 
casemaking  the  conditions  are  much  the  same  as  in 
sample  mounting.  These  observations  are  offered 
as  probabilities,  rather  than  positive  statements. 


Recom- 

mendation 


. 


■ 


